Madden NFL 12 Rookie Ratings - Top Ten Defensive Backs

[Steve_OS]

Finally, some defense! EA Sports takes us through the top ten rookie Defensive Backs (Cornerback and Safety) in Madden NFL 12.

A fresh infusion of talent by way of the NFL draft is the surest way your favorite team can build for the future. Why do you think we always debate the top draft classes and not the top free agency classes of all time? We get excited adding rookies to Madden NFL 12 too. Rather than tweaking and adjusting ratings for the same old veterans we get to build new guys from scratch, projecting how they’ll transition to the pro game. If only their coaches could do that.

Today we’re looking at the ratings for the top rookie defensive backs in Madden NFL 12. There are a few built-in advantages to being in this category as defensive backs are some of the fastest and smartest players on the field in Madden NFL 12. While rookies tend to have lower awareness, they’re still fast and we all know how important speed can be in this game.

10. Marcus Gilchrist – CB - SD - 69 OVR

9. Brandon Harris – CB - HOU - 70 OVR

8. Jaiquawn Jarrett – SS - PHI - 71 OVR

7. Chris Conte – FS - CHI - 71 OVR

6. Aaron Williams – CB - BUF - 71 OVR

5. Rahim Moore – FS - DEN - 73 OVR

4. Ras-I Dowling – CB - NE - 74 OVR

3. Jimmy Smith – CB - BAL - 76 OVR

2. Prince Amukamara – CB - NYG - 81 OVR

1. Patrick Peterson – CB - ARZ - 82 OVR

He’s tied with another player as our top rookie in the game and Patrick Peterson carries the standard for DBs. He was discussed as the “safest” pick in the 2011 draft and his combination of skills translate very well into Madden NFL 12. It’s not all about individual players and skills however. A safety like Rahim Moore can mean more to a Denver defense that already has man defenders (Champ Bailey) and pass rushers (Elvis Dumervil).

Remember we’ll be consistently updating all rosters and all players during the 2011 NFL season, so these lists are just a starting point. Keep it here for more on Madden NFL 12 rookies, ratings and info.

Source: Madden NFL 12 Rookie Ratings - Top Ten DBs

[angels eclipse7]

Re: Madden NFL 12 Rookie Ratings: Top Defensive Backs

I completely disagree with Prince hitting the 80 mark.

[yanknicks]

Jimmy Smith 6' 2" beast!!!!!!!

[LBzrule]

Re: Madden NFL 12 Rookie Ratings - Top Ten Defensive Backs

Jimmy Smith should be tied with PP7 IMO. PP7 is a physical freak no doubt, but I think Smith has better CB skills based on their college tape. But alas, I'll wait until I see position ratings. Maybe Smith is a tad bit slower, has lower agility and jumping, which I wouldn't argue with.

[yanknicks]

Jimmy Smith is going to be on all #1 receivers this year. By the end of the year, he'll be a 85 or better

[tbook24]

ranked in order of draft position and projected playing impact. its just a start but will changewith roster updates so its not much of a big deal

[Palo20]

Jimmy Smith is going to be on all #1 receivers this year. By the end of the year, he'll be a 85 or better

Might be their best CB right away.

Ravens don't match up CBs much though.

[TheFuture94]

Re: Madden NFL 12 Rookie Ratings - Top Ten Defensive Backs

Jimmy Smith's and Prince's ratings need to be switched.

[LBzrule]

Re: Madden NFL 12 Rookie Ratings - Top Ten Defensive Backs

Might be their best CB right away.

Ravens don't match up CBs much though.

With Chuck Pagano this year we are supposedly going to match up more. We'll see.

[brettmickey]

Re: Madden NFL 12 Rookie Ratings - Top Ten Defensive Backs

I don't get how Ras-I Dowling is 3 overall points higher than Aaron Williams. It may be because I dislike the Pats but this is how I see it:
Before the draft Aaron Williams was regarded as a late 1st-early 2nd rounder. I did not hear the same about Ras-I Dowling so from what I researched he was a 2nd rounder. (FWIW Aaron Williams has a better prospect rating on ESPN which is run directly by Scouts Inc.) Ras-I excels athletically while Aaron excels physically so they play with different tendencies. I figured they would have identical ratings or possibly Aaron having 1 overall point higher. Ras-I having 3 more than Aaron doesn't make sense to me. I would throw money out there that if these CBs switched teams then their ratings would switch too because New England gets the benefit of the doubt while Buffalo gets the short end of the stick. This is about to turn into a rant so I will stop here.

[brettmickey]

Re: Madden NFL 12 Rookie Ratings - Top Ten Defensive Backs

Here are the Scouts Inc. scouting reports at your disposal:

Ras-I Dowling
Scouts Grade:86
1 = Exceptional2 = Above average3 = Average4 = Below average5 = Marginal



<table class="tablehead" style="margin:0px;" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tbody><tr class="oddrow"><td>Production</td><td align="center">1
</td><td>2007: (12/4) 44 tackles, 2 INT, 9 PBU.2008: (11/9) 43 tackles, 3 INT, 11 PBU.2009: (12/12) 58 tackles, 1 sack, 3 INT, 8 PBU, 2 FF.2010: (5/2) 15 tackles, 1 PBU.</td></tr><tr class="evenrow"><td>Height-Weight-Speed</td><td align="center">1
</td><td>Top-end speed is excellent. Nearly two inches taller and five pounds heavier than the average DC at last three combines.</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td>Durability</td><td align="center">4
</td><td>Missed only one game (USC, 2008) due to injury during first three seasons at UVA (2007-09). Played in only five games in 2010 as he battled hamstring and knee injuries before breaking his left ankle.</td></tr><tr class="evenrow"><td>Intangibles</td><td align="center">2
</td><td>Selected co-captain for 2010 season. No off-the-field issues to our knowledge. A hard worker who continues to improve both as a player and a leader.</td></tr></tbody></table>Cornerback Specific Traits


<table class="tablehead" style="margin:0px;" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tbody><tr></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td>Instincts/Recognition</td><td align="center">1
</td><td>Plays under control and with confidence. Is disciplined when reading keys and doesn't get caught peeking in backfield very often. Very cautious of getting beat deep when working in man-coverage. Anticipation skills are solid but still developing. Will be late reacting to the ball coming out of QBs hands at times in man-coverage but has much better reaction skills in zone.</td></tr><tr class="evenrow"><td>Cover Skills</td><td align="center">2
</td><td>Can hold up in certain man-to-man matchups but would need deep-safety support versus NFL WRs with upper-echelon quickness. Has some tightness in hips, while top-end speed is very good lack of elite initial quickness can get him in trouble when he takes false steps in man coverage. However, shows an extra gear to recover when caught out of position. At his best in zone coverage, where he can keep WR in front of him and read QBs eyes. Shows good leverage and quick feet in pedal. Has good burst out of pedal and plays with very good balance and body control. Tries to get physical with WR as much as he can. Has the size, long arms, strong upper body and physical mentality to succeed with some good coaching in the NFL.</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td>Ball Skills</td><td align="center">2
</td><td>Above average ball skills and possesses a wide range in this area. Has long arms and shows good leaping ability. Goes up and high-poINT the ball.</td></tr><tr class="evenrow"><td>Run Support</td><td align="center">1
</td><td>Has good size and strength for the DC position. Is diligent about keeping outside contain versus the run. Not afraid to mix it up. Solid tackler; does a better job than most of breaking down and wrapping up in space. Flashes the awareness to go for the strip when possible.</td></tr></tbody></table>

[brettmickey]

Re: Madden NFL 12 Rookie Ratings - Top Ten Defensive Backs

Aaron Williams
Scouts Grade:88
1 = Exceptional2 = Above average3 = Average4 = Below average5 = Marginal



<table class="tablehead" style="margin:0px;" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tbody><tr class="oddrow"><td>Production</td><td align="center">2</td><td>2008: (13/1) 16 total tackles, 1 TFL, 3 PBU, 1 INT.2009: (13/13) 44 total tackles, 6 TFL, 2 sacks, 8 PBU, 3 INT.2010: (11/9) 46 total tackles, 5 TFL, 1 sack, 12 PBU, 3 FF.</td></tr><tr class="evenrow"><td>Height-Weight-Speed</td><td align="center">2</td><td>Above-average height and top-end speed for a corner prospect. Adequate weight.</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td>Durability</td><td align="center">3</td><td>Missed the 2009 UCF game with a knee injury. Missed the 2010 Oklahoma State game with a concussion.</td></tr><tr class="evenrow"><td>Intangibles</td><td align="center">2</td><td>Uncle Ken Taylor played RS/CB in NFL (Charges and Bears) for two years. Named to Texas Athletic Director's honor roll in spring of 2010.</td></tr></tbody></table>1 = Exceptional2 = Above average3 = Average4 = Below average5 = Marginal
Cornerback Specific Traits


<table class="tablehead" style="margin:0px;" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tbody><tr></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td>Instincts/Recognition</td><td align="center">3</td><td>Reads and flows with quarterback when drops into zone. Recognizes bubble screens. Mid-poINT high/low routes and flashes good route recognition skills but highly inconsistent in this area. Gets caught peeking into the backfield. Gets caught guessing too much and vulnerable to double moves. Slow to recognize run when matched up in man coverage.</td></tr><tr class="evenrow"><td>Cover Skills</td><td align="center">2</td><td>Inconsistent but talented and most weaknesses can be improved. High in backpedal. Can allow some separation out of breaks and recovery burst is just average. Can give receivers too much of a cushion. Too quick to open and turn on comeback routes. Not as physical in press coverage as in run support and doesn't always re-route receivers with powerful stab at the line of scrimmage. On the other hand, has fluid hips. Can open and run with receivers in press-bail coverage. Quick feet and changes directions well for size. Closes quickly when receivers catch the ball in front of him and can limit production after the catch.</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td>Ball Skills</td><td align="center">2</td><td>Can elevate too early but flashes the ability to high-point in jump-ball situations. Gets head turned in time to locate the ball. Can time dive and knock ball down when gets caught in trail position.</td></tr><tr class="evenrow"><td>Run Support</td><td align="center">2</td><td>Plays with an edge and fights off blocks. Effective wrapup tackler that can get bigger ball carriers to the ground. Consistently steps up when teams run at him but could show better effort in pursuit when teams run away from him.</td></tr></tbody></table>

[Palo20]

So Ras-I has all 1s and 2s in football skills. His only knock is durability. He also ran a sub 4.4 40 at the combine despite pulling up early.

The knock on Williams coming out is that he may not last long at CB. Some analysts love him as a FS. I'm sure his OVR will reflect this at FS and he may be as good as Ras-I when that happens.

[spfhelmiii]

Re: Madden NFL 12 Rookie Ratings - Top Ten Defensive Backs

Boof. At least some of you are debating players who are on the list - Chris Culliver (49ers' 3rd Rounder) is not even listed.

[Hooe]

Re: Madden NFL 12 Rookie Ratings - Top Ten Defensive Backs

Dowling is about five points ahead of where I thought he'd be given that he didn't play but one game last season, that and I didn't think on the whole he was that much better than Chris Cook (who the Vikings drafted early in the 2nd round of the 2010 NFL Draft; he was rated a 68 OVR in Madden NFL 11).

All the best to him, however.